The profile and shape of Parliament has changed dramatically. Following the General Election in 2010 we have the first full coalition government since 1945 and the first ever power-sharing deal between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. There are a record number of women MPs in the House; almost a third of MPs were then new to Westminster and the ratio of new members drawn from private and public sectors has changed dramatically in favour of the private sector … particularly from the finance and consultancy fields.

World financial crises have shaped many of the policies of the coalition government, and the constitutional changes envisaged have suffered a temporary setback. However, the domestic, social and business affairs of the nation — the core business of Parliament — carries on; debates still take place about the NHS, education, social services, the economy, international matters and the many other aspects involved in managing the affairs of the UK. It is these, the issues involved in the government of the nation, that are covered by the features in the Parliamentary Yearbook. My appreciation goes out to all the contributors and everyone who has been involved in the book’s production.

I trust that you, the reader, will find much of interest within the pages of the book. I am, however, always anxious to receive feedback about the content, and I should be delighted to hear from any of our readers with any comments or suggestions for improvements.

The Parliamentary Information Office is a division of Blakes Media who have been publishing the definitive Parliamentary Yearbook for over 40 yearsThe Parliamentary Information Office is a division of Blakes Media who have been publishing the definitive Parliamentary Yearbook for over 40 years; this has also been a successful on-line resource for many years. The Parliamentary Information Office has three distinct functions: (i) To provide information on topical political, social and business issues to clients of the Parliamentary Yearbook and to members of the public, (ii) To carry out research into such aspects of public and business life that may be of interest to a wider audience for inclusion in reports and features within the Parliamentary Yearbook, and (iii) To assess the value of the publication to the potential readership in specific market sectors and ensure that the publication reaches the best possible target audience. If we can provide assistance to you please do not hesitate to contact the Parliamentary Information Office.